Nashville's Hayden Panettiere And New York Jet Scotty McKnight Break Up

Hayden Panettiere's match made in New York is now over, leaving the young actress to be able to focus on her Nashville career. The news broke today that Panettiere and New York Jets wide receiver Scotty McKnight have broken up and, according to reports, the two have been single and on the market for a couple of weeks.

A few weeks may not be enough time to mend a broken heart, but TMZ is actually reporting the break-up was an easy, painless affair. The two are also supposedly vowing that they will remain friends, but since that’s the oldest “nice” break-up statement in the book, and it’s potentially a little unhealthy (unless they plan to date again, which could happen), I’m not keeping my fingers crossed hoping that will be the case.

Panettiere and McKnight started dating during the summer of 2011, and the couple seemed to be going strong for a little over a year, before today's news popped up. Formerly, the 23-year-old also dated a professional boxer, Wladimir Klitschko, for over a year, too, before that relationship fell apart due to the strains brought on by distance. With Panettiere busy with her TV series and McKnight traveling for his sport, it’s safe to believe distance may have been a factor in this case, as well.

Panettiere could very well keep up the sports trend with her next boyfriend, so if you want to apply, you might want to work on your ball, glove, or stick skills.